Ball seat and method of forming the same



Sept. 23 1924.

W. H. NEEDHAM BALL SEAT AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME III Jzogm mzzzmelaw 3 y Claw/"v7 Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM H.'NEED1-IA1\I, F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BOSTON PRESSED METAL COMPANY, OF MAINE.

BALL SEAT AND METHO'D FORMING THE SAME.

Application filed. September 28, 1922. Serial No. 591,195.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. NEED- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at -Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Ball Seat and Method of Form ing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a ball seat such as is used in the steering mechanism of automobiles; and it is the object of my invention to provide an improved method by which such ball seats may be produced from sheet metal with few and simple operations and at a greatly reduced cost.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a ball seat of novel construction and especially adapted to resist pressure thereon.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred construction of my improved ball seat and the method steps by which it may be produced are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan'view of the die for forming the star-shaped blank;

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the punch and die for formingthe star blank and for drawing it to cup-shape;

Fig. 3 shows the product of the operation illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of a punch and die for advancing the product to the shape shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a punch and die for forming the article shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 shows a punch and die for perforating the ball seat and thus completing the fin ished article shown in section in Fig. 9 and in perspective in Figs. 10 and 11. I

Referring to the drawings, the stock is preferably supplied in the form of a narrow strip of sheet metal such as indicated in broken lines at 20 in Fig. 1.. This stock is fed over a combination die 21 and a starshaped blank is pressed from the stock by a punch 22. At the same operation an inner plunger 23 having a rounded lower end descends upon the star-shaped blank and forces it through the restricted opening in the lower portion 24 of the die 21.

The productof this double operation is the cylindrical cup 25 shown in Fig. 3, with the points 26 of the star extending upward at the open upper end of the cup.

The cup 25 is then placed in a die 27, shown in Fig. 1, and a punch 28 is pressed downward upon the points 26. The punch 28 has an lnverted conical lower face which successively engages diflierent portions of the star points 26 as it descends. By this operation the points are curved and are also forced inward, producing the incomplete article shown at 29 in Fig. 5. The die 27 has the usual ejecting plunger 30 for removing the articles 29.

This article 29 is then placed in a die 31 (Fig. 6) and a punch 32, having a shallow recess 33 in its working face, descends upon the inwardly projecting curved points of the article 29 and forces them to the position indicated at 3st in Fig. 7. At the same time the flat bottom of the article 29 is forced against the rounded upper'end of the ejector stud 35 (Fig. 6) so that a concave ball seat 36 is simultaneously produced.

The article shown in Fig. 7 is then placed in the die 33 (Fig. 8) and punch 39 perforates the ball seat and sizes the opening between the portions 34., thus producing the finished article shown in section in Fig. 9 and in upper and lower perspective in Figs. 10 and 11.

It will thus appear that I have produced a ball seat of an especially firm and rigid construction by a very small number of machine operations. The parts of the star-shaped blank are so proportioned that the points 26 will be in close engagement with each other when forced to the position shown in 7. In fact, the finished article has almost the appearance of a solid or rigid body and the lines separating the points 26 are hardly visible except at the extreme inner ends of the points.

The portion of the article opposite to the ball seat is designated in the claims as the supporting portion.

Having thus described my invention and the method steps by which it may be produced, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forthin the claims, but what I do claim 1s 1. The method of forming a chambered ball seat, which consists in forming a star- OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION concave seat portion, a supporting portion, and a plurality of separate inturned points positioned ciosely adjacent each other and projecting inward from said supporting portion to firm engagement with the convex inner side of the ball seat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afjfixed my signature.

WILLIAM H. NEEDHAM. 

